81% 0f Americans oppose the $38 billion military gift to Israel

 

 "A solid majority of Americans would redirect $38 billion the Obama Administration pledged to Israel toward other priorities.

The Obama administration last week signed an executive agreement with Israel pledging $38 billion ($3.8 billion per year) in foreign aid for fiscal years 2019- 2028. The majority of the proposed spending is for Foreign Military Financing to provide Israel advanced and upgraded jet fighters, to continue developing Israel’s missile defense systems and to purchase other U.S. weapons. Although the White House has released a Memorandum of Understanding fact sheet, the actual MOU has not been made publicly available.

An IRmep poll fielded by Google Consumer Surveys reveals 80.8 percent of the US adult Internet user population says they would redirect the proposed spending toward other priorities. Caring for veterans (20.7 percent) was their top priority, followed by education spending (20.1 percent) and paying down the national debt (19.3 percent). Rebuilding US infrastructure was favored by 14.9 percent, while funding a Middle East peace plan received 5.8 percent of support.

Only 16.8 percent said the $38 billion of pledged foreign aid should be spent on Israel."  Grant Smith

http://original.antiwar.com/smith-grant/2016/09/19/81-americans-oppose-38-billion-pledge-israel/

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A change of pace from the Borg Wars and the political circus.  pl

Comments

[Babak Makkinejad]

Do you not then see the veracity of the point that I have been repeatedly raising, viz. that the electorate bears much of the responsibility for this state of affairs?

I keep on reading on this forum and elsewhere how Americans wish to have had other choices.

Who is responsible for the absence of such choices in the United States?

In Iran, many blame the Guardian Council of Constitution for an analogous situation; whom does one blame in the United States?

Or in UK?

Or in France?

Or in Italy?

Or in Hungary?

Who is responsible?

[michael brenner]

What a charming vision that is. If filmed, that would be the downfall of pornography.

[ISL]

Nancy K,

Trump appears not to support the actual nazis in Ukraine - the ones who celebrate Bandera and swastika's. Hillary and neo-con USA support them.

Trump talks tough about muslims, but so do most US politicians (or they talk nice and bomb bomb bomb, or cackle, we came he died (and the muslims live in hell) - ha ha ha). Obama deporter in chief talks about inclusiveness - but...

On the other hand, Trump has lots of business in the middle east - did the actual nazi's do business with Jews?

Cognitive dissonance everywhere - its an exceptional condition in an exceptional nation.

[BraveNewWorld]

You've noticed that no politician in the US is allowed to run for office with out being sent to Israel for reprogramming as well.

[Croesus]

"His parents had close family die in the holocaust and Trumps rhetoric reminds him of the rhetoric in Germany in the 30's."

Issn't the shelf life way past expired on that meme?
How much longer are we to be held hostage to "what Germany did in the 30's [sic]?
otoh, keep it up: more are more are discovering what was done to Germans, Poles and Russians, Armenians, etc. by zionists, in the 19teens, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, and until today.

Perhaps that's how the full story finally comes out: in small pieces, provoked by the "doth protest too much" phenomenon.

[turcopolier]

Nanacy K

That would be an E-7? Sounds like SIGINT. One of my father's brothers (John H) was a quartermaster warrant officer and another (Gordon P)a torpedoman warrant officer. There is a wiki on John and I mentioned earlier that Gordon endowed a chair at wellesly. pl

[Croesus]

Last thing the "public" needs is "educational trips to Israel." Such ventures almost always end up as psychological manipulation.

The public could do with educational trips to Iraq, Libya, Aleppo, and the other places in ME where wars for Israel were fought and the native population was killed or displaced, their cultures and society devastated for generations.

[Croesus]

I suspect Ted Cruz spells that Armage$$on. His major benefactor influences how "Gung Ho" a "Christian" he should act.

[BraveNewWorld]

Of course that $40B is just the tip of the iceberg. On top of that you have the dark money for covert ops and other purposes. There are a large number of Americans and equipment posted in Israel and the Sinai. That doesn't count the other places in the ME that are there to attack some one that might fight back against Israel. There is also a carrier task force permanently stationed in the ME to protect Israel and if you need one you need two because the up time on them isn't that good though better than many. There is the used military equipment that the US gives Israel for free. Some of it gets used by Israel, but large quantities get sold to nefarious actors especially in Africa. That includes countries the US has arms embargo against. When Bibi starts crowing about the love he gets in Africa now this is why.

[Nancy K]

the shelf life is never expired for those it happens to. You can question it because obviously you have never experienced such horror. I have not either. My father was a POW in Germany for 2 years and he really never got over it.

[Nancy K]

I'm not sure, for a brief time in my life, many years ago, I attended a church that was very into end times. They were sincere, the minister Chuck Smith, who has since died, was intelligent, yet he completely believed in Armageddon and the Church being raptured before the return of Jesus. The congregation was large, it was a mega church, probably 20 thousand or more and they all believed this. They use to spend time in Israel on a Kibbutz and were completely enamored of anything Israeli.

[Henshaw]

Israel has played US evangelicals like a violin. But not a very difficult thing to do when your theological grounding is as simplistic as that embraced by many evangelicals. Prime example of telling someone what they want to hear.

[Henshaw]

Any idea how much of this funding is effectively assistance to the US arms industry, ie giving Israel money that they can only use to buy items from US arms suppliers?

[Babak Makkinejad]

Nah, it is what another commentator observed here: you cannot have a frank discussion with the electorate; you will never get their vote - in US or elsewhere.

[turcopolier]

Henshaw

It appears that the money will be spent in US companies and from there will cycle to major shareholders who are friends and patrons of BHO. Their money would be useful for his library. pl

[Lemur]

@Nancy k

- check my last sentence. Not all Jews are Zionist but most oppose Trump, especially elites. In future ALL of them will have to make their case for why from one party whatever their reasons.
- Israel Firsters are in Trump's camp but he's not up for their plans in Syria.
- the 'literally Hitler' meme has no basis in fact but plenty in emotional appeals to the Holocaust.
- Israel was problematic from its inception,and poisoned Western relations with the Muslim world for no good reason.

@Paul & Brave
- the pressing problem with Israel is their influence on disastrous American foreign policy as a whole in the ME (eg Syria). The Palestinian thing is an issue but at least its somewhat contained.
- This is why the neocons are arrayed against The Donald despite his assurances outlined in the links above.

[Imagine]

Please read "The General's Son" by Miko Peled. More Israeli-Americans need to speak up against Likud; Christians are ham-strung as "anti-Semites". "The General's Son".

[michael brenner]

Lincoln did

[Imagine]

Kolomoyski, paymaster of Right Sektor.

[Amir]

We have, Jill Stein. If you think casting a ballot for The Clown or the Evil One is a waste, just waste it on a good cause.

[Fred]

Col.,

"1st class Petty Officer" That's E-6. A chief would be E-7.

[Stephanie]

The American public tend to be against foreign aid generally. Many are under the impression that we give “too much” when in fact the U.S. has often lagged behind other powers in this department.

After the agreement was signed Obama immediately began talking again about a two-state agreement and there is talk that he might go to the U.N. with a resolution. He has no desire to do Bibi any favors and I have the impression it’s all he can do not to hold his nose whenever Netanyahu enters the room.

The agreement also contained a provision wherein for the next two years, at least, if Congress appropriates more money for Israel than the Administration wants to give – which is usually the case -- the Israelis have agreed to return it. Lindsey Graham was peevish and said this demonstrated the Administration’s “antagonism” toward Israel.

None of this is great news,and I wouldn't make too much of it, but it is progress of a kind.

No Republican candidate of any stripe has shown any interest in pressuring Israel. Trump just told Bibi that he will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel if elected.

[ron chaput]

No matter who you vote for the government always wins

[Bandolero]

All

I have a question on the wording: why are there 38b USD called a gift instead of a tribute?

Are there any polls indicating a majority of US people sees this money as gift instead of a tribute?

I mean do people not know about the laws requiring the US president to guarantee Israel's QME?

I can hardly imagine this.

[Walker]

After the agreement was signed Obama immediately began talking again about a two-state agreement and there is talk that he might go to the U.N. with a resolution.

Probably not any more. Via MondoWeiss, a letter from AIPAC signed by 88 Senators warning Obama to not even think of it.

As an AIPAC official once said, "You see this napkin? In twenty-four hours, we could have the signatures of seventy senators on this napkin."